What do we do

Rotterdam, world festival & event city

Rotterdam is a city with a long history of hosting festivals. Each year hundreds of thousands of local residents, visitors from the Netherlands and abroad are attracted to events such as International Film Festival Rotterdam, North Sea Jazz Festival, Art Rotterdam Week, NN Marathon Rotterdam, ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament, Rotterdam Unlimited, and World Port Days. Then there are also the many small-scale, quirky festivals that take place at unusual spots in the city that form an important part in the varied offering of festivals in Rotterdam.

The rich festival tradition is part of the DNA of the city and its citizens. The festivals are rooted in the city and connected with the character, history and the culture of the city. With the festivals we celebrate our identity!

Rotterdam has a strong festival infrastructure. The city boasts a large number of experienced organizers and suppliers, as well as strong support from the municipality. With 4,700 available festival professionals, 4,500 volunteers, and an annual turnover of more than €200 million, the festival infrastructure plays a vital role in the economic life of the city.

Mission, ambition and strategy

Our mission
Rotterdam Festivals coordinates Rotterdam’s events policy and encourages culture participation of the citizens of Rotterdam. We realize a distinctive festival programme with events that are embraced by Rotterdammers (the people of Rotterdam), that reflect the themes of the city and deeply penetrate throughout the city and into the world.

Our ambition: Rotterdam the most engaging event city of The Netherlands
Rotterdam is a city with range of internationally appealing events. The city and her citizens form the most important source of inspiration for Rotterdam based events. Together, the events tell the story of Rotterdam.

We are still the most appealing event city of The Netherlands and we reach a broad audience through (inter)national appealing programming where our cultural institutions, architecture, diversity of people and cultures, and harbours are the main focal point.

We strive for a calendar made-up of strong periods of events making Rotterdam a city to reckon with. The rest of the year the inner-city is lively and cosy, in part due to small and sometimes unexpected performances in areas like the Central Station, the Kruisplein, or elsewhere in the city-centre.

Our strategy
We are responsible for the event policy in Rotterdam, with Rotterdam Topsport as lead for the sport events. We support initiatives by organisers of festivals and events, communicate these festivals and events to the general public. Rotterdam Festivals helps organisers to realise their festivals and events by supporting them and ensure that the wishes of the inhabitants, visitors and the themes of Rotterdam come together to form a cohesive whole.

Rotterdam Festivals depends on the initiative in city. The ideas and the organizing capacity of festival organisations and cultural institutions are indispensable for an exciting and coherent festival that is able to reach a broad audience and caters to the interest of the city.

Audience reach: communication and marketing
Our aim is to attract an audience that is as large and diverse as possible. In addition to the publicity implemented by individual events and festivals, Rotterdam Festivals promotes the whole of festivals and event calendar to the wider general public. In addition we are responsible for the collaborative marketing of all cultural offerings in Rotterdam via Uitagenda Rotterdam.

Promotional methods include a monthly magazine (Uitagenda Rotterdam), websites (zakelijk.rotterdamfestivals.nl and www.uitagendarotterdam.nl), social media, online newsletters for specific target groups (Uitmail, Museum Uitmail), a festival brochure (every 2-3 months) and collaborations with several local newspapers. This is how we support all theatres, concert halls, museums, festivals, societies and other culture providers in Rotterdam in reaching their audience.
In total these activities lead to a reach of over 8,1 million contact points each month.

For the promotion of cultural activities with national and even international appeal we work together with Rotterdam Partners. The aim of this organisation is to encourage visitors to come to (and stay in) Rotterdam.

Our activities and services

Rotterdam Festivals is the festival knowledge centre for all organisations that would like to produce their event in Rotterdam. It is also the fastest and most efficient way to all other festival related services in the city.

Rotterdam Festivals:
• is responsible for the annual festival calendar of the city;
• provides information and assistance in finding appropriate locations;
• provides information and assistance in finding production partners;
• provides and offers assistance in collaborative marketing;
• serves as liaison with government agencies such as the permit department;
• serves as liaison with the city marketing organisation;
• serves as liaison with side programme partners
• makes available data on the wishes and/or thresholds of festival audiences;
• provides financial support when needed;
• communicates the festivals and events calendar to the general public.